Chinese Ko-Sometsuke

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In the final decades of the Ming dynasty after the death of Emperor Wanli in 1619, the lack of imperial patronage forced the hands of the Jingdezhen kiln owners.  To replace lost revenues, they looked to the Japanese market. 

Known as ko-sometsuke – ‘ko’ meaning ‘old’ and ‘sometsuke’ meaning ‘blue and white’ and produced between 1620 and 1645, it is an underglaze blue Chinese porcelain for the Japanese market manufactured to coincide with the increasing popularity of the tea ceremony that required a number of specific utensils. 

Ko-sometsuke porcelain was manufactured entirely to Japanese tastes and sensibilities.  It is often called Tianqi porcelain (tenkei in Japanese) after the Ming emperor who reigned from 1621 to 1628.  The production techniques and designs were a marked departure from the traditional Chinese methods.  If you are familiar with the Japanese concept of Wabi-Sabi, the Chinese potters of the 17th century understood this as well; Ko-sometsuke porcelain was intentionally manufactured using poorly levigated clay,roughly potted with inconsistencies and imperfections, and featured purposely chipped edges, known as mushikui, or ‘earth worm nibbles’, that were particularly prized.  You might also see these mushikui referred to as ‘flea bites’. 

Designs for this ware are usually landscapes, birds and flowers, animals, and human figures. Sizes are usually small to mid-size flatware and bowls.  To me, the best examples of this ware show an unmistakable Japanese appeal with a free-spirited composition and a joyful, playful loose brushwork .  Base inscriptions are usually those from previous dynastic reigns with a preference for the Chenghua reign (1465-1487) mark in reference to an earlier, “golden age” of porcelain - I like to think of this as a 17th C. form of ’street cred’ and marketplace value enhancement.

In serving the Japanese market, the Jingdezhen kilns produced vessels to the special order of Japanese tea masters that were of higher quality than the more ”everyday”  ko-sometsuke  wares.  Referred to as Shonzui wares, they are beautifully potted and well painted in a deep violet blue.  In quality and technique, they compare well to the Chinese ”Transitional” wares.

In the Shonzui style of decoration, the casual, loose, Wabi-Sabi  approach of the ko-sometsuke designs is replaced with a studied, structured design of the decorative elements, expressing the qualities of Kireisabi  (beautiful elegance).  Auspicious patterns are densely painted, covering the porcelain body.   Natural scenes and scholarly references are drawn with precision and attention to detail.  

 Shonzui wares are rare in the West.  There is some disagreement about dating these porcelains; however, many authorities feel that they were all manufactured during the reign of Chongzhen  (1628-44), the 17th and last Emperor of the Ming dynasty and brother to the Tianqi Emperor — perhaps it was a bit of sibling rivalry or, at least, differentiation that drove the development of these more refined wares.

Tea Ceremony Service Items:

• Hiire:               a flat-bottomed container for ash and lit charcoal
• Mizusashi:    a water container used in the tea ceremony
• Mukozuke:   a typically deep-sided dish for sashimi, raw meat, or sliced shellfish
• Kaiseki:           a small, flat dish for the simple meal that precedes the tea ceremony 
• Kashibachi:   a deep bowl or dish for sweets
• Koro:                 an incense burner, usually with three feet
• Kogo:                a small porcelain covered box, used to contain precious scents